"It took me only a few minutes to see how to hack it."

We have known for some time that state voting machines are incredibly vulnerable to cyberattack. Is this breaking news? No. White hat hackers (ethical hackers) in recent history have demonstrated time and time again just how easy it is to hack into the machines.

So what is being done about it?

The election landscape in Colorado recently underwent a significant makeover.

Thanks to two initiatives spearheaded by Let Colorado Vote, a coalition dedicated to expanding voter access to the ballot for all taxpaying Colorado citizens, unaffiliated voters now have the opportunity to participate in all stages of elections.

Since 2008, Colorado has led the nation in the growth of unaffiliated voters who – at 35% of active voters – number more than Democrats or Republicans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kHeki5yysw

Perhaps wanting to quickly pivot from the health care reform debacle, the administration is poised to roll out its plan for tax reform this week.

The DNC knows it has a populism problem. The Democratic Party is more divided than ever in the wake of the 2016 election. But does their new platform go far enough to reassure American voters that they’re trustworthy and that they’ve reinvented the party since the 2016 election?

Recent history indicates otherwise.

The election of Tom Perez as DNC Chair did little to alleviate concerns of progressives who thought a shakeup in party leadership could set the party’s course straight.

"Just to make sure you know what you just said, you're a Republican advocating for the Republican Party to fall apart."

Japan and United States Inch Closer to Military Action?

The latest ballistic missile test from North Korea has not only angered the United States, but also one of its key allies in the region, Japan. Following a an early morning conference call with President Trump, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that more action was needed. It seems clear that both nations are losing patience with North Korea.

After the call Shinzo told reporters in Tokyo:

President Trump tweeted about his new chief of staff friday afternoon, writing "Reince Preibus is a good guy, John Kelly is a star."

Four stars actually.

John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff, is a retired four-star Marine general who served with distinction in the military for over four decades.

Maybe most importantly, Kelly was not involved in the 2016 campaign and didn't support any of the candidates.

His history is very impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nyy6SPmbqJo

It's certainly true that the most valuable things in life don't come easy.

That is the case with health care reform.

No question, Obamacare needs to be fixed and improved. It's failing across the country. All parties have admitted the system is collapsing on itself.

And there is no question the fractures in Congress need to be healed if any significant repeal and replace bill can be passed.

Greens will have a chance to win the New Jersey governorship in November. Ohio will have the same opportunity to vote in a Green governor in 2018.

After a high profile 2016 presidential campaign, running candidates for governor over the next two years might keep momentum going for the Green Party.

New Jersey Greens are running Seth Kaper-Dale as a 2017 candidate for governor.

While the 2016 presidential election campaign was sadly divisive, it also provided a surprisingly clear window into the drivers of human behavior.

Here are five important things we can learn about ourselves from how this election unfolded.

1. Basic Human Perceptions Drive Most of Our Voting Behavior

Contrary to conventional wisdom, our willingness to vote for Clinton, Trump, or any other candidate for president does not derive primarily from their specific policy positions or qualifications.